Biden: Trump's Words Compelled Me to Run

Joe Biden is in. The former VP formally joined the crowded Democratic field for the 2020 race with the release of a video Thursday morning, reports the Wall Street Journal. This is Biden's third run for the presidency—his first came 32 years ago in 1987. "We are in the battle for the soul of this nation," Biden said in the video, adding that President Trump's reaction to the violence between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville in 2017 is what cemented his decision to run. Biden cited Trump's statement in the aftermath of the violence that there were "some very fine people on both sides," per the Washington Post.

"In that moment, I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had seen in my lifetime," Biden said. "The core values of this nation, our standing in the world, our very democracy, everything that has made America America is at stake. That’s why today I’m announcing my candidacy for president of the United States." Biden is 76, and he would be the oldest person ever elected to the presidency should he win. A Morning Consult/Politico poll pegs him as the frontrunner, not only among Democrats but over President Trump as well. The poll has him up 8 points on Trump. (More Joe Biden stories.)